Coin handling means for coin controlled vending machines



Oct. 21, 1952 ca. P. BOOTH- ETAL 2,614,675

COIN HANDLING MEANS FOR COIN CONTROLLED VENDING MACHINES Original Filed July 12, 1947 2 SHEETSSHEET l I? 19s E? g E I 8 4 J 53 n. F; #41 T m T ENTYN E CHEWING GLIM INVENTOR GeorgePBooilc ATTORNEY G. P. BOOTH ET AL Oct. 21, 1952 COIN HANDLING MEANS FOR COIN CONTROLLED vVENDING MACHINES Original Filed July 12, 1947 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 INVENTORS ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 21, i

7 H I 2,614,675 ooIN HANDLING MEANS FOR coIN CON- "TROLLED VENDING MACHINES George P. Booth, Dobbs Ferry, N..Y., and Lawrence M. Smith, North Bergen, N. J .,.assignors to Interborough News Company, New York,

Original application July- 12, 1947,v Serial No.

760,678, nowPatent No. 2,571,668, dated cto-' her 16, 1951. Divided and this application August3, 1951, SerialNo. 240,092 7 This invention relates toa coin handling mechanism usable in a coin operated vending machine. One of the important features of the present invention is directed to a coin handling -mechanism capable of detecting and preventing the complete insertion of an apertured article into the coin chute of a vending machine. By our invention the proper articles, namely, coins,

are received in the coin chute and allowedto pass therethrough while apertured articles such as metal washers and the like are detected and stopped prior to complete insertion into the coin chute. The coin handling mechanism is arranged in a manner such that the metal washer which is arrested in the coin chute before being completely inserted may be easily withdrawn so as to clear quickly the coin chute for further use. By this arrangement the coin handling mechanism of our invention prevents the clogging I of the machine as well as providing a-highly effective means of preventing theoperation of the machine by articles other than coins.

v The coin handling mechanismof our invention is also arranged to close the inlet of the coin chute when the supply of packages being dispensed has been exhausted. Since the inlet of the coin chute is closed by the coin handling mechanism, a person attempting to operate the vending machine need not wait for the coin to be -nection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1- is a fragmentary and cross-sectional view of one of the gum containers and showing the same suspended from the top of the casing part of the vending machine;

*- Fl-g. 2 is a cross-sectional view in elevation showing the coin chute and gum container;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken generally on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view of the coin receiving mechanism taken generally on line [-4 of Fig. 2;

2 Claims. (01. 194-97) Fig. 5 is' a. cross-sectional view of the coin receiving mechanism taken generally. on line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. '6 is another cross-sectional view-of the coin receiving mechanism taken generally on line 6- -6 of Fig. 4; and I Fig. 7 is still another cross-sectional view. of the coin receiving mechanism but taken generally on line 'I-| of Fig. 4.

Referring now to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, it will be seen that the gum container 33 is formed of a channel piece with front flanges 58 and an inwardly bent portion 59 for supporting a stack of gum packages 60. A weight 6| keeps the packages in tight stack'engagement with one another within the container. The gum packagesqare loaded from the upper end of the container after 7 Thereafter the v weight will feed the gum packages downwardly first removing the weight 6|.

. mounted on the upper end'of the spring. strip 62 out of engagement with a feeler member 65 adapted to be dropped into'the coin'slot to prevent further insertion of coins therein when the extended over a transversely extending rod or shaft extending between the sides of the front casing part of the vending machine and on which the containers are supported.

The coin slot 34 is provided. in the end of a coin chute H, Fig. 2, which has atop flange 12 adapted to rest on the lower edge 13 on the front part of the vending machine and to be retained thereagainst by a fastener 14 extending through a'projection I5 of the front part.

Referring now particularly to Figs. 4 to 7, there is shown a device for retaining the coin within the coin chute so that a coin is always retained therein for effecting the next operation of the gum machine. The arrangement serves also to prevent the insertion of more than one coin at a time into the gum machine. Every time that a coin is placed in the coin chute, a previously arrested coin will be released automatically tobe used in e1Tecting.-the gum ejecting operation. Accordingly only one'coin can be fed at a time to the operating mechanism of a vending machine.

Associated with the coin chute II at a,low

location are members I24 and I25 which maybe extended through a slot I 25 into the coin chute to prevent the passageof the-coin "downwardly through the coin chute. This 'coin is retained in the coin chute until another coin'i's placed into the slot at the top thereof. When the other coin is placed in the slot it is i-pressed downwardly While various changes may be made in the detailed construction, it shall be understood that upon a lip I2! whereby to cause as illustrated'in Fig. 5, the outward movement of a control arm I28 pivoted on a fastening screw I29 on a bracket I3I secured by screws I32 to the coin chute. This outward movement will be against the action 10f i3. leaf spring i33. As this outward movement is effected, thecontrol arm I28 through an operating pin I34 will cause the feelermember 65, to

:be pivoted a slightamount with its pin I35 on which the upper ends of the arms I24 and I25 in the slot I26 are fixed. Automatically, the coin .which is already retained by the members I24 and I25. will be released and thereby allowed to drop into the operating mechanism of avend- .ing machine. seen in Fig. l, the feeler member 65is positionedfat .an angle from the vertical so that its own weight will tend to pivot the cam point 150 into the .coin chute. II. 'Sufiicient clearance is provided betweenthe legs I5I of the'feeler member 6'5 and the operating pin I34 to allow move- .ment-of-the cam point I into the coinchute II without further movement of the control arm I28, as seen in Figs. 4-6. If a coin IGis inserted :in the coin chute,'the control arm I28 will be,

pivotedoutwardlyand upwardly and'the feeler member will be pivoted 'inwardlyand downwardly. Due to the play between the feeler membe'r 65 and .the operating pin I34, the cam point 150 on feeler member 65 is free to move further vinto the coin chute'and ride on the surface of the coin. However, upon the insertion of ametal The Within the slot or chute opening there is extended a pivot arm I3'I, pivoted at 238 and nor- .mally retained into a position withinltheupper end of thechute by a-tension spring I39 connected tothe lowernend of thelarmI I37 and upon af'projectionm-lfl "thereon and an anchor .pointM-S on the coin chute. fAs the coin engages the upper roundedend of'the pivot arm I31, it will cause the arm .to, pivot andthe spring .139 to be extended sufficiently .to permit the easy passage of thecoin downwardly through the coin chute, Whenwtheuppercurved surface of the coin l5 is-moved into contact with the pivot arm I31, the tensioned sprin causes .the pivot arm to exert aforce on the coin thereby accelerating therateof movement of. thecoin through such changes shall be within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

, "We claim:'

' 1'.In'a vending machine, a coin handling mechanism comprising a coin chute inclined away from the vertical,a control arm pivotally mount- .ed at'its flower end and having a lip at its upper end which normally depends into the upper end of the coin chute, said lip being pivoted upwardly curved surface of the coin.

out of the coin chute upon the insertion of an article into the coin chute, a feeler member pivoted intermediate its ends and having a cam point on its upperend and a pair of spaced legs on its lower end, an operating pin connected ;to said control arm and extending between sai'd'legs for pivoting said cam point downwardly into "the upper end of the coin' chutefor engagement with an inserted article when said lip is pivoted'out ,of the coin chute bythe inserted article, said-legs being spaced apart sufficiently to provide clear- .ance between the legs and the operating pin to allow further downward movement of :the cam pointinto the coin chute independently of movement by the operatin pin to permitsaid cam point to drop into the hole of an inserted apertured article, said cam point having a fiat upper edge which upon said further downwardmcvement engages the edge of the hole inthe apertured article to retainsaid article at the upper end of the coin chute,'and said cam point having a curved lower surface for allowing removal of said apertured article fromsaid coin chute.

2. In a Vending machine as defined in claim 1 and including a pivot arm pivotally-mounted on said'coin chute, said'pivot arm having an upper end normally disposed within said coin chute which is engaged by the lower curved edge ofa'n inserted coin and/moved out of the-coin chute thereby, and spring means biasing 'the'upper end of said pivot arm into-said coin chute for-forcing said coin throughs'aid coin chute when the upper end of said pivot arm is engaged'by the upper GEORGE P. BOOTH.

LAWRENCE M. SMITH.

REFERENCES CITED f The followingreferences are of record in "the file of this patent: I 

